Timepiece striking mechanisms are large, complex complications, as regards not only the number and complexity of the kinematics of their components, but also their possible operating modes. For watches that have additional complications, such as minute repeaters, managing the safety devices is very complex, and it is difficult to stop the passing strike function to allow a minute repeater to play, or conversely, to stop a minute repeater being released as a passing strike approaches, to prevent a minute repeater being released again when a repeater cycle has just started, to prevent an adjustment to the motion work during a striking function, etc., as these safety devices generally implement a large number of isolators, which further complicates the mechanism and the risk of interference.
EP Patent No 2503405B1 in the name of MONTRES BREGUET describes a timepiece including drive means, a movement, a power reserve control mechanism for the drive means, which includes an output arbor whose angular position indicates the power reserve available in the drive means, a striking mechanism controlled by a striking control mechanism, which includes a locking lever arranged to lock operation of the movement. This timepiece further includes, inserted between the output arbor and the locking lever, a selective stopping mechanism, for selectively stopping the striking functions of the timepiece, according to the available drive torque of the drive means, the selective stopping mechanism being arranged to manage the torque available in the drive means by limiting or not limiting operation of the striking functions, according to the angular position of the output arbor, to control a mechanism for releasing all or part of the available striking functions in the striking mechanism, via a transmission mechanism actuating an isolating wheel set comprised in the selective stopping mechanism and which is arranged to control the position of the locking lever and further arranged to release or prevent the movement of a strike control rod linkage and/or to allow or prevent a hammer striking a gong.
EP Patent Application No 2226688 A1 in the name of VAUCHER describes a timepiece which includes a control unit moved between defined positions by a power reserve mechanism. A release unit, i.e. a click wheel, is actuated to cooperate with a release beak to release an additional mechanism, for example an alarm mechanism. The release unit occupies positions in which the release unit respectively cooperates and does not cooperate with the beak. The control unit cooperates with the release unit and moves the release unit into one of the positions according to the corresponding position of the control unit.
EP Patent Application No 1429214 A1 in the name of ROTH & GENTA describes a timepiece provided with a mechanism striking the hours, and the quarters with a minute repeater, including a movable part of the striking mechanism capable of being moved between a determined rest position and an operating position, means for releasing the striking mechanism, means for periodically moving the movable part into the operating position when the striking mechanism is released, a hand-setting mechanism including a winding and setting stem on which a sliding pinion is slidably mounted to move into mesh with a setting train, a pull-out piece meshed, on the one hand, with the winding stem and, on the other hand, with a setting lever meshed with the sliding pinion. It includes means for locking the setting lever connecting the latter to the movable part of the striking mechanism, so that the locking means lock the setting lever as soon as the movable part of the striking mechanism is moved away from its rest position.